Twisting around in his arms, my eyes panic-stricken, I interrupt him, “Please tell me you didn’t hurt Jake. Please…”
He lets out a deep sigh, and then rests his forehead against mine in hopes of comforting me. “I wanted to; believe me, I wanted to, but I know how much he means to you. Plus, he had been protecting you all these years in ways I didn’t even know about, which earned him some respect from me.” He shakes his head. “No, Jake is fine, but he’s been warned.”
“I will do whatever you want, just please promise me you won’t ever hurt him,” I beg, gazing into his chocolaty eyes.
“I wouldn’t worry about him. I believe he got the message loud and clear. He won’t interfere.” He tilts his head back so he can look directly into my eyes as his thumb gently wipes away a stray tear. “I hope you realize how much I love you. You’re about to witness the great lengths I’m willing to go to in order to make you happy. Believe it or not, when you hurt, so do I.” He kisses my cheek slow and tender before he whispers in my ear, “I’m willing to go so far as to exact revenge on your behalf, if that is your wish.”
I lose my breath from his confession. Stunned disbelief doesn’t describe what I feel. This has to be a set-up. There is no way two birds of a feather who flock together would ever destroy each other. There is too much business to be had, too much money to be made.
As if he’s reading my very thoughts, he clarifies, “I’m not owned by anyone, Julianna, not even your father. The only thing I’ve ever needed or wanted in this life is you.”
I swallow the lump in my throat as I contemplate his words, and decide even if he is telling the truth, I can’t believe him. I no longer trust anyone in this life except me, myself, and I from now on. I do the only thing I know to do anymore, and that is to lie. “I’m tired of all the killing and backstabbing, Nick, you know?” I close my eyes and a shiver runs through me. I spook myself as I feel a ravenous hunger stirring within, desiring to be the one shedding blood and acquiring the satisfaction of doling out vengeance for myself.
“We will get through this. You’ll see.” The back of his knuckles softly stroke my cheek as he continues, “You will smile again. Once you see how much love I have for you, you’ll be able to heal.” A salty tear escapes from the corner of my eye, already knowing that I will never be able to rebound from this.
“Shh, baby…don’t cry.” He takes hold of my hand and twines his fingers in between mine. “I told you from the beginning I take care of what’s mine. You have my word I will work day and night to mend your broken soul.” I study his features, mainly honing in on his stark jawline. His scruff is new to me, evidence of his worry.
Without thinking, my fingers tenderly stroke his cheek, fascinated by the new stubble, and he closes his eyes, leaning into my soft touch as he tells me, “You have no idea how much I worried about you, or how much sleep I lost wondering how you were, or if you were treated right.” The strain in his voice thickens. “I wasn’t sure what Travis’ game was. At first, I thought he wanted a ransom of some sort, but when I never heard from him, I knew he wanted you for himself.”
His grip tightens around my hand, worry evident in his questioning eyes. “Did he hurt you at all?”
I shake my head in response as I turn my head and stare off into space. “No, he was good to me,” I whisper into thin air. I don’t want to think about Travis right now. I don’t want to think about what games he had been playing all along, or how he broke my heart, or what I could’ve possibly thrown away. My future holds nothing for me now but darkness anyway, so it doesn’t matter. No one in their right mind would ever want me after this. I’m a fragmented mess with a black and hollow soul.
Nick pulls me from my thoughts as he starts to set warm kisses along my jawline. “I’ve missed you so damn much,” he murmurs into my neck, breathing softly over my skin.
A faint knock sounds at the door, and Nick lifts his head, speaking in the direction of the sound. “Yes.”
“I have your dinners ready, sir,” a meek older lady’s voice sifts in through the closed door.
“We’ll be eating up here this evening, please.”
“Very well, sir.” And with that, the voice disappears.